Bro. John R. Barker, OFM, is a Franciscan friar with the Province of Saint John the Baptist (Cincinnati). He is Assistant Professor of Old Testament Studies at CTU. His main areas of research relate to the formation and function of biblical texts, particularly the prophetic literature. This includes such approaches as rhetorical criticism, the history of the interpretation and reception of biblical texts, and the Bible in the Church and culture.

Bro. John has presented on a variety of biblical topics at parishes throughout the US and contributes regularly to Weekday Homily Helps. His publications include “Haggai,” The Bible Today 53.6 (2015): 343–48; “The Garden as a Place of Beginnings,” The Bible Today 53.3 (2015): 137–42; “The Book of Haggai and the Rebuilding of the Temple in the Early Persian Period,” New Theology Review 26.2 (2014). He is currently revising for publication his dissertation, “Disputed Temple: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Book of Haggai,” and preparing the article on Zechariah for the revision of the New Jerome Bible Commentary. He is a member of the Catholic Biblical Association of America (CBA) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).